The IEEE standard has proposed a Time Slotted Channel Hopping (TSCH) protocol (802.15.4e), which defines a channel hopping medium access control scheme. FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary operation 100 of conventional TSCH protocol. Various nodes in a network are assigned timeslots within different slot-frames using Absolute Slot Numbers (ASN). Depending on the channel hopping algorithm, each node ‘hops’ to a different channel during its allotted timeslot in a given slot-frame to transmit data.
The IEEE defined standard for TSCH allows low power devices to support a wide range of applications. In TSCH, timeslots synchronization impacts power consumption and preserves power; however, timeslots are assigned by a higher layer of the network. For example, if a network includes a central node, which is connected to a child node and the child node is connected to a grandchild node, then timeslot allocation for the grandchild node will be done by the central node. A centralized allocation of resources is an easy and less complex solution; however it introduces a high overhead in terms of messaging and energy efficiency. Furthermore, a resource allocation decision made without coordinating with routing protocols impacts the efficient functioning of the routing protocol. For example, a combination of TSCH and Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks (RPL) will cause issues if timeslot allocation is determined by the central node instead of RPL because in such case, RPL does not get involved in parent selection, which is the core function of RPL protocol and thus causes conflict. Similarly, a combination of TSCH with other protocols that require active participation of remote nodes in resource management will cause inefficiency and, at times, functional mismatch of various network components.